Common Myths about Private Browsing

Private Browsing is a useful feature of Waterfox, but only if you understand the protection it offers. It helps you obscure your online activity from other people who use Waterfox on your device, but does not make you invisible online.

Myth 1: Private Browsing makes you anonymous on the Internet

Reality: Private Browsing does not mask your identity or activity online. Websites and internet service providers can still gather information about your visit, even if you are not signed in. If you use your device at work, your organization may be able to monitor the websites you visit. Your internet service provider may also be able to observe connection information. A VPN can hide your IP address from websites and encrypt traffic between your device and the VPN provider, but it does not make you anonymous.

Myth 2: Private Browsing removes all traces of your browsing activity from your computer

Reality: Private Browsing lets you use private tabs without saving passwords, cookies and browsing history after the private session ends. Files you download and bookmarks you create remain on your device after you leave private browsing.

Myth 3: Private Browsing doesn’t display any browsing history

Reality: Private Browsing will, by default, display visited sites and bookmarks as you type in the address bar. Waterfox saves these pages during normal browsing. If you don’t want to see these suggestions, you can deselect them in your Waterfox Settings panel under Address Bar.

Myth 4: Private Browsing will protect you from keystroke loggers and spyware

Reality: Private Browsing does not protect you from malware installed on your device. If you suspect you have malware, take steps to remove it to prevent it from happening again.

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